Leica X2
The Leica X2 is the successor to the Leica X1, made by Leica Camera AG. It is a compact digital camera with a 16 mega-pixel (MP) sensor and a 24mm Elmarit lens. Unlike other Leica compact cameras, it is completely made in Germany, and has no influence from Panasonic cameras. Taking the crop factor of the APS-C sized sensor into account, the lens works out to be a 36mm lens, essentially a 35mm lens, the standard wide-angle photojournalism lens used by countless professionals and famous photographers. Features The Leica X2 features a full metal construction, and therefore feels very solid in the hand. It is surprisingly lightweight however, at 345 grams witht the battery. It has either aperture-priority, shutter-priority, full prgram or manual shooting modes. The camera doesn't have a mode dial/selector-wheel like most modern compact cameras and DSLR's, however, it has a shutter-speed selector wheel, ranging from 1s - 1/1000th of a second, and an aperture selector wheel, ranging from 2.8 - 16. This gives a more traditional feel to the camera, reminiscent of older cameras such as the Leica M3 , or other rangefinder cameras. This allows for traditional manual shooting, and fast adjustment of basic settings when compared to other cameras with fewer manual controls. The body closely resembles very early Leica cameras, such as the Leica A , and Leica II , with its silver and black color scheme, and metal construction. Like pretty much any other modern-day camera it features autofocus , and the autofocus system in the X2 is said to be much improved ofer the much complained about system in the X1 which was infamously slow. Thre is also face-detection autofocus which makes the camera focus on faces in the scene, no pun intended. The 24mm (35mm focal length equivalent in the standard 35mm format) lens is amongst the best found in 'point-and-shoot/compact' cameras. It gives that 'Leica feel' to images that can only be described as a 'Leica feel'. It is wide enough for most situations, and the 35mm focal length is considered the 'standard wide-angle' amongst professionals. It is a fixed lens though, no interchanging lenses here, and also no zooming. The X2 accepts SD and SDHC cards. It also has a continuous shooting mode of up to 5 frames per second for up to 8 consecutive images, which is nothing impressive by today's standards, but then again the X2 isnt a sports camera. The X2 is a system cameras, with a range of dedicated accessories availabe made by Leica themselves, such as a grib for beter handling of the camera, a 35mm bright-line optical viewfinder that mounts on the hotshoe, an electronic viewfinder, and a leather case. Notable users of the X2: Mr. Hoveeto from Paris... Look him up. Conclusion The Leica X2 is a well built, German built compact/mirrorless/point-and-shoot/whatever camera, with a great Elmarit 35mm lens. It is most probably usable for general snapshot taking purposes, photojournalism, portrait work, and fine art photography. It is probably not ideal for sports or wildlife photography due to its slow burst speed and its fixed wide angle lens. It is however a 'cheap' way into the Leica eco-system, and will produce spectacular results with the famous 'Leica feel' in the images. References Leica X2 Official Site Leica X2 Review on Steve Huff Photo Leica Cameras on Wikipedia Leica X2: Discussion with 3 photographers on Inspired Eye